Pride and Prejudice and Hange
by MaireadSystem
Summary: Sixth chapter up! Hange Zoe is a reclusive high school junior who wants to be left alone. When the school paper's junior editor, Levi "Mister Perfect" Ackerman, asks her to become a reporter, she starts to come out of her shell... [Modern AU based on a role play session on shamchat. HangeXLevi. Eventual ErwinXPetra. T for language and possible other stuff.]
1. In Plain Sight

_Levi here. Since coming to this time and place, Eren and I have (obviously) become competent working with computers. Eren prefers to skype and play games. I have found an outlet for my creative tendencies through role playing. I recently started an interesting scenario with someone calling themselves_ _"Punk!Refuses to get close to people! Hanji Zoe (HS au levihan?)". Clearly, they were looking for something very specific, which can be annoying, but in this case I decided to give it a shot. This is the result. If you were on the other end of this chat, please let me know so I can give credit where it is due._

 _I have edited the role play into a more story-friendly format, as well as correcting spelling and grammatical errors. I also took a few liberties with the other party's bits, to make it flow better. She used the Hanji spelling, but I changed it to Hange because I believe that is how she spelled it when I knew her (see our profile for clarification). Other than these changes, whatever you see Hange doing, saying and thinking, that was not my writing. Whatever you see Levi (and Erwin and Petra, for that matter) doing, saying and thinking, that was my writing._

* * *

 _In Plain Sight_

* * *

Levi sat in his corner of the cafeteria with Erwin as usual, staring over all the other students, not seeming to really see any of them. As his eyes passed over each student, he had some thought about them - geek, coward, prep - it was involuntary. But when he came to Hanji, the reading was... undetermined...

Hange sighed, running a hand through her hair as she sat down by herself with earbuds in. She didn't pay attention to anyone around her, not caring about the weird looks she'd get from others. She took a drink from her water bottle and sighed, her eyes shifting to Levi, raising an eyebrow when she saw him looking at her.

He stared back, not giving a damn that she'd caught him.

"Hardly anyone reads the school paper anymore," Erwin was saying. "We need to get someone new on staff. Someone who doesn't worry about conformity, you know? Fresh ideas."

"You're absolutely right," Levi said, monotone. "I'll find someone." He got up.

"Hey, hang on... there's a soccer game coming up. We need to talk strategy. We're going up against the Titans again, and you're team captain."

"Tch. I'll mow the field with them. It's all under control, Mister Student Body President." He walked away... toward Hange's table.

Hange Had looked away a while ago, tapping her pen on her journal to the beat of her music with her eyes closed, unable to hear anything else over her music. She sighed, opening her eyes as she pulled out her phone to change the song, just then noticing Levi walking over, but pretending not to.

He'd wondered long enough what made this girl tick; time to find out if it was anything useful. Levi sat down across from Hange and pointed at his ear so she would know he wanted her to remove her earbuds.

She stared at him for moment, then paused her music before taking her earbuds out. "What do you want from me, 'Mister Perfect'?" She asked, her voice dripping sarcasm as she looked him straight in the eyes, raising an eyebrow.

Unfazed, Levi asked flatly, "Do you write?" To himself, he wondered, _Mister Perfect, huh? Wonder who started that one... my stupid fan club or my rivals... no telling at this school._

"Yeah... Why?" She stared for a moment before taking another sip of her water, tapping her pen absentmindedly against her journal again.

It was a start, but he couldn't just offer her the job. "Are you any good?" He moved his hand minutely toward the journal in front of her, not actually trying to grab it, but making it clear that he wanted to see it.

She moved the journal out of his reach as she searched his eyes in an attempt to guess his intention before handing the journal to him. "You tell me. You'd be the first to see my writings."

This was sure to be interesting, if nothing else. He didn't get his hopes up. No doubt it would be full of spelling and grammatical errors, not to mention ridiculous subject matter... he opened the journal and turned to the first entry.

She put an earbud back in, playing her music as she watched him intently. She was still confused but she didn't want to ask what he really wanted; she tended to mind her own business.

He noted the date at the top of the entry. She'd been using this journal since the school year began. It was not your typical "This is the first day of school..." drivel. On the contrary, Hange had dived right in with a social commentary on her teachers, assessing their suitability for teaching their respective classes. It was bold... almost rebellious. Levi's eyes narrowed. They would have to be very careful, but this could work...

He flipped to a couple more entries, seeing more of the same bold style. Whatever Hange was thinking about from day to day, she considered it head-on without a hint of hesitation.

"Well?" Hange asked him after a moment, reaching to grab the journal back after becoming a little self-conscious. She didn't let her nervousness show, even though her mind was screaming for her to take the journal back because she had never let anyone at all read it.

He let her take it back, staring at her bespectacled eyes with his usual lack of expression. "You don't suck," he said. "Ever think of writing for the school paper?"

"I did until I found out it was run by you, 'Mister Perfect', and that ass Erwin Smith," she replied, holding the journal somewhat close to her as she stared at him. "Look, if you're asking me to write for the paper, sure. Just don't expect me to appeal to your cheery, happy group of fangirls. That's not me."

It took a lot to ruffle him, but Levi couldn't help taking offense to her insinuations. "Those 'cheery, happy fangirls' aren't the only ones who voted Erwin for president. If you think he's an ass, you have no clue what you're talking about. And no, I'm not expecting you to appeal to the airheads around here. You think I'd be over here talking to _you_ if that were the case?"

In his peripheral vision he could see heads tilting, he could hear chatter dying down to whispers, and he knew exactly what the topic was: why is _he_ talking to _her_?

"That's not why I called him an ass. Forget it. And fine, I'll join the paper, but you can't hover over me all the time, got it? Now, I would go back if I were you - don't want to get caught sitting with a freak," she muttered, uncomfortable that almost everyone was staring. She wasn't used to people noticing her, not even at home, so she felt panicked and awkward.

She put up a tough front, but it was clear that the attention was getting to her. "If any 'freak' does sit next to me, I'll deal with it when it happens," he quipped, shoving his chair back. "Come to the paper office after school. We'll get you set up for a trial run."

She nodded and stared down at the table. She shook her head after a moment and got up, throwing her empty water bottle away before walking out of the cafeteria. In the hall on her way to her last free period, she was staring downward when someone tripped her. She glared but quickly got up, walking into her class with a sigh.

Levi found it a little difficult to concentrate in biology lab... he kept thinking back to Hange's journal and what sort of reporter he thought she could make. He also wondered what made her want to stay so closed off from everyone. He liked his privacy and didn't care much for most of his fellow students, but at least he had Erwin and Petra and a couple others that weren't total idiots to rely on. She didn't seem to have anyone.

When he went to turn in his petri dish at the end of class, Petra leaned over to him and whispered, "Heads up: I heard there's a few new kids transferring in next week from Titan High. They say one of them was actually on the soccer team for a while."

He nodded, not answering. That news could be good or bad... but he just couldn't worry about it right now. School was almost done for the day. Almost time to introduce Hange to the paper staff.

Hange spent most of the hour writing and forcing herself not to be bothered by what she heard a few people say about her. When the bell rang she got up and went to her locker, grabbing her bag before she started off to the news room. When she got there, she knocked on the door. "Hello?"

Petra opened the door. "Hello! You must be Hange. I'm Petra. I'm sort of the gopher around here. I also set type."

"She's joking," Erwin said, coming forward. "We have computers and printers... no one 'sets type' anymore."

Petra put out her lower lip, pouting. "Let me haze her a little, will ya? Anyway, this is Erwin, obviously. Senior editor and production overseer and basically the guy who's gonna kick your butt if you don't make your deadline."

"Tch. He usually delegates that delightful task to me," Levi muttered, leaning back on a desk.

Hange started a little but no one seemed to notice as she looked awkwardly at anything except for Erwin. She avoided looking in his direction at all... "Right..." She muttered, holding her bag over one shoulder. "So uh, is that all? Just introducing yourselves or is there more..?" She asked, quite ready to leave already for two reasons... Petra's overly cheerful attitude and not wanting to be around Erwin any longer than necessary.

"There are more members of staff, believe it or not," Petra said. "Ilse and Mike are our reporters, but they collaborate. Ilse's great at fact-checking and info-gathering, but she's not much of a storyteller. Mike can give it the spin, but he's not a people-person, so together they're ok, but we're really hoping to find someone who's got the whole package - that's where you come in."

"Petra does formatting," Levi put in. "I make sure things run smoothly."

"Levi's our junior editor and pioneer of controversial topics," Erwin added. "What we want you to do for us is to jump right in and find a relevant topic and write a piece on it. It doesn't have to be long; just show us what you've got. If you can do better than the Ilse-Mike team, you've got the job."

"Alright... Doesn't sound difficult. I'll bring it by tomorrow." She shot Erwin a glare before looking at Petra then glancing at Levi, her glance lasting for half a moment longer than the rest before looking away. "Is that all? I should probably get going..."

"That's it," said Levi. _What was that look for? Do they have some sort of history...?_ "Do you have a ride home?" he asked.

"No. I'll walk," Hange replied, turning on her heel to exit the building.

"Well, she's a pistol," Petra noted. "I've got to get these files to the printer... see you tomorrow."

The others told her goodbye and Levi turned to Erwin. "What the hell did you do to her?"

Erwin blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"She freaking hates you. Did you dump her freshman year or something?"

The senior looked down sheepishly. "To be fair... I dumped a lot of girls freshman year..."

Levi snorted. "Yeah, OK. Stupid question. Look I know you're not the jerk you used to be, but she seems to have some real dirt on you. And until it gets settled, I'm not sure it's the best idea to have her on staff here after all..."

"It was your idea to ask her in the first place," Erwin reminded him.

"Yeah... that was before I knew she had it in for you. Whatever... we'll figure it out." He grabbed his shoulder bag off the desk.

"Hey, don't forget about the game. We need to plan."

"I'm on it. Text me." He hurried down the hall and out to the parking lot where his little black four-wheel-drive was waiting. It was cloudy out... rain was probably on the way. Sure enough, he'd gone only a couple of miles when his automatic windshield wipers came on.

Hange had started off towards her house. It was quite a long walk, but she didn't exactly mind. She was nearly halfway home when it started raining. "Great... Just my luck." She continued walking, clutching her bag closer to herself, squinting her eyes since it was hard for her to see. She was pretty sure that she had ended up getting herself lost by not paying attention.

The rain came down harder by the second. Soon, there was a thick curtain of water and Levi had to slow his pace to be sure of avoiding accidents. He hated being delayed, even when there was nothing to be in a hurry for. He passed a pedestrian on the sidewalk... it was a girl... with a bag... It looked like she had long hair, pulled back, and glasses. He stopped the car. Hange had said she would walk. "Moron," he muttered. He put the car in reverse and rolled back a few yards, putting the passenger side window down. "Hey, four-eyes," he called. "Planning to swim the rest of the way or what?"

"What's it to you?" she shouted over the rain as she stopped walking to look at him. She crossed her arms with a sigh as she started shivering from the rain which had now completely soaked her.

It looked like her glasses were even harder to see through than his windshield. She couldn't possibly walk far in these conditions, not to mention she was bound to get sick even if she succeeded. She was going to totally flood his interior... He groaned quietly and leaned over to pop open the door. "Get in, dumbass."

She stared for a moment, then sighed and got into his car. "Sorry..." she muttered and closed the door before taking her glasses off, wiping at the makeup that had been smudged by the rain and then trying to wipe all the water off of her glasses. "My house is just up the street." She looked at him before opening her bag to get her keys out. "Dammit, where are they...?" she muttered to herself.

Levi put the window up and kept one careful eye on the road while glancing at Hange from time to time. It would be a major pain to dry out the car, but there was no point in complaining about it. "What's your house number?" he asked, putting the heat on to start the drying process and possibly prevent her from catching cold.

"It's the one on the end..." She felt herself beginning to freak out. "Ugh..." She pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh, closing her bag.

It would be silly to waste this opportunity and have to wait until tomorrow for answers... "So, care to tell me why you hate Erwin's guts? You don't have to worry about shocking me; I know he's got a past. Hell, so have I."

She sighed and glanced over at him. "We used to be childhood friends - I guess you could call it that. Anyway, we didn't talk much for five years because he moved to where he lives now and my parents started hating his family for some reason. We dated from the end of junior high into his freshman year of high school, and I was going through quite a hard time with my dad dying, so I didn't spend much time with him, and when I did... He tried a few times to get me to do some crazy things that he thought would be 'harmless'... When I refused, he told me to die and left." She stared at him and fell silent, not expecting a response.

Levi clenched his jaw, determined not to let his emotions show. This was the one... Erwin had alluded to the incident on occasion, but never given the details, and Levi hadn't asked him. If it were anyone else, he'd know what to do: go kick some ass. But Erwin was different now. No one knew that better than Levi himself.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said at last. "There's no excuse for his treating you that way. I don't expect you to be happy about working with him, but he's not the same guy he was three years ago."

Hange sighed and looked down, shrugging. "If you say so, but I'm not exactly going to attempt to get along with him again. I'll be as nice as I can, but that's it." She looked over at him. "Besides, what's with the curiosity? And your expression... don't get so pissed off about something that happened to me. It's not like you care about me." She looked out the window, seeing that the driveway was empty, which meant that her mom was working late and that she'd have to sit outside for the next few hours since she had lost her keys.

Levi pulled into the driveway and put the car in park. "You may not believe this, but I'm not all about myself like some people think. Yes, I'm friends with the student body president. I'm junior editor of the school paper. I'm captain of the soccer team and president of the mixed martial arts club. But I know damn well those titles don't make me better than anyone else. I don't enjoy hanging out with many people, but everyone that goes to Legion High is my classmate, and I don't want any of them getting bullied. Clear?"

"Yeah, sure. But that's not what I meant. I can tell you're not what everyone thinks but I'm not the kind of girl someone would go out of their way to speak with. I don't understand what makes me suddenly visible," she muttered, continuing to stare down as she started getting out. "Anyway... Thanks for the ride.."

"Hange." His hand darted out almost before the thought crossed his mind, wrapping around her wrist. "It's true I never went out of my way to talk to you before... but you were never invisible to me."

She froze at his touch, a slight blush crossing her cheeks as she stared down. "How?... I'm nothing special, you know."

Why did she think someone had to be "special" before Levi would notice them? He'd been a people-watcher most of his life, and he'd often found the supposedly insignificant people to be the most fascinating to watch. "No? Well... neither am I." He released her wrist and dug an umbrella out from behind his seat. "Hang on; I'll come around."

She grabbed her bag and sat there quietly. She was actually showing that something finally got to her. Her expression was confused but also sad while her eyes showed something different, almost like shock or possibly hope...

She was already wet, but there was no sense in letting her get completely soaked all over again. Levi hurried around the car to hold the umbrella over her head. He walked to the house with her and halted at the door. He could have left then, since the eaves sheltered her, but he waited for her to go inside.

"Thanks again for the ride," she muttered and sat down on the porch quietly, staring at the rain-soaked ground while humming to herself.

"Sure..." He was momentarily puzzled when she sat; then he remembered her searching unsuccessfully for something in her bag. "Lost your keys?" he guessed.

She nodded. "Yep, and my mom won't be home for another four hours." She looked up at him.

 _Why me, dammit?_ Levi frowned. He looked at the door and its knob. Knobs were usually better than latches, in his experience, though handles were better. He looked at Hange, then back at his car, then down at Hange again. "Listen, I might be able to help, but... you have to swear not to tell anyone." He crouched in front of her with a solemn expression. "Make the Legion High team spirit salute and swear."

"Uh okay..." She put her left arm behind her, her right fist over her heart, and muttered, "I swear I won't tell..." staring at him in confusion for a moment. "What're you planning on doing?" she asked, running a hand through her hair.

He ignored the question - she would see soon enough. "Wait here." He went back to his car and cut the engine before opening the trunk. Among other things, his soccer and martial arts bags were there, along with a sizable first aid kit. He opened the kit and rummaged around a little until he found what he was looking for: his set of lock picks. He closed the trunk and walked briskly back to the porch, setting the umbrella upside-down in its shelter. He knelt in front of the door and began probing the keyhole with his first pick.

She watched him silently and a little in awe, humming to herself.

He was glad she didn't ask a lot of stupid questions. She wasn't completely silent, but the pattering of the rain helped to cover it. Of course, that meant he couldn't rely heavily on his hearing to help open the lock - he was going almost entirely on touch. Something gave a little and he left the pick in the lock as he selected a second. After a little feeling around, he felt the second pick slide into place. He tried the knob slowly, careful not to dislodge the picks. The door did not open. "How many damn tumblers does this lock have?" he muttered, though he wasn't truly frustrated yet.

* * *

 _That was when we lost connection and the chat ended. I'm willing to continue this story on my own, especially if people show interest in it. You can also make requests or ask questions. ~Capt. Levi A.  
_


	2. Tea and Titans

_I've had some ideas, so here's another chapter. Please let me know what you think of the story so far. It's all my writing from here on.  
_

* * *

Tea and Titans

* * *

Hange watched Levi work until she heard a distinct click and he successfully turned the doorknob.

"That was really cool," she said, in spite of herself. "I had no idea you could..."

"No one else has any idea either, and it needs to stay that way," he interrupted, putting his lock picks away.

"OK, OK," she said, annoyed. "I swore, didn't I?" She got up and pushed the door open. She hesitated. It would be good manners to invite him in, but her mother wasn't home... she wasn't supposed to have guests without asking first. For that matter, she wasn't supposed to be alone in the house with a boy - not since her breakup with Erwin. Then again, she wasn't supposed to accept rides from boys her mom didn't know, either...

She frowned. The rain was still coming down pretty hard. "Hey... you want to come in for a minute? Wait until it lets up a little?"

Levi glanced back toward his car. "All right," he said after a moment.

She led the way inside. The house was chilly, so she paused to turn the thermostat up a notch. "Want something to drink?" she asked, at the same time wishing she didn't always leave the house in such a cluttered state. _Why do I care so much? It's not like I could impress him even if I wanted to._

"Do you have tea?" Levi asked.

"Um... I think so. Somewhere." She stepped into the kitchen and began rummaging through cupboards. It had been a long time since she or her mother had tea. She missed the times her mom would brew tea after work, before she had to start working extra hours... before her father died.

She finally emerged from the depths of a cupboard with a box of Earl Grey. "Aha!" she exclaimed, sliding off the counter-top. She turned to see that Levi had opened several other cupboards, and he was actually moving dishes from the dishwasher into them, as he discovered where each thing went. "W... what are you doing?"

"You seem to be running out of surface area," Levi said without looking up from his work. "The logical solution is to wash some dishes, but your dishwasher still had some clean ones in it..."

"What the actual hell," she said, not sure whether to be amused or insulted.

"Also... I found your teapot," he said, holding it up.

Her jaw worked as she tried to find something to say. Finally, she took the pot from him and said, "You're the visitor here... don't... clean my frickin' house."

"Fine." He closed the dishwasher and the cupboards he had opened.

Unnerved, Hange retrieved the tea kettle from the back of the cluttered stove. It still had who-knew-how-old water in it... she dumped it in the sink, rinsed the kettle a few times and refilled it before setting it back on the stove. She turned back to Levi, wondering what she was supposed to do next. She hadn't had many opportunities to play hostess.

"So," he said, leaning on a narrow section of clear space on the kitchen island, "you live here with your mom?"

"Mhm."

"She never remarried, then?"

She'd had no intention of getting into her personal family history with him. She mentally kicked herself for not taking charge of the conversation. But after all, he was her guest at the moment. "No."

"Well." He paused abruptly, as if he didn't know if he should say what was on his mind. Then, seeming to make up his mind, he said, "Mine never married at all."

Hange was shocked, both by the revelation and its subject. With all the gossip floating around about the soccer captain, she had never heard anyone mention that he was illegitimate, or from a broken home. "You... were raised by your mom, then?" she asked.

He shook his head. "She died when I was about ten."

"I'm sorry," she said mechanically. If she was honest, she hadn't quite processed the information enough to truly sympathize.

"It's fine," Levi said with a shrug. "From what I remember, she wasn't a very good mother."

She didn't know what to say to that. Finally, she asked, "So who did raise you?"

"I live at my uncle's house. He travels a lot though, so I pretty much have the run of the place."

"Really." He sounded less pitiable now, talking about his privileged position. "And your own car."

"Yeah."

She wished the kettle would boil. She didn't know what else to talk about... "Um, do you take milk or sugar in your tea?" She picked up the box. "This stuff expired... a couple months ago..."

"Expiration dates are just guidelines to keep the manufacturers from getting sued," Levi said carelessly. "Tea keeps better than a lot of products, even other dry goods."

She blinked. He just spat all that out as if he worked at a tea factory. "So..."

"I'll have a little milk and/or sugar if it's not any trouble, but I drink it black, too."

"OK." She went to the refrigerator and got out the milk carton. She opened it and took a sniff. It smelled a little sour. "On the other hand..."

"Let me see."

She handed the carton to him, followed by the cap when he held out his hand for it.

He carefully poured milk into the cap and dumped it into his mouth as if it were a shot glass. After a moment, he reported, "It's fine. You're just smelling the milk that collects around the opening. It starts to sour first, away from the rest of it."

Was he a walking wiktionary? "Oh, OK," she said faintly.

"So, where does your mother work?"

"Oh, she's a supervisor at a clothing store. She worked her way up from a cashier."

"Nice."

"I guess. But she has to work overtime to keep this place... and she's too tired to do much when she gets home. You see the state it's in."

He nodded. "That's too bad. You know... I'm good at cleaning. I could give you a hand."

She bristled instinctively, unsure if he was being condescending or not. "I don't want your pity."

"I'm not offering any. It was just a suggestion."

Finally, the kettle boiled. Hange found the last remaining clean mug in the house and offered it to Levi. She'd have to wash one for herself. In a couple of minutes, they both had steaming mugs of halfway-decent tea.

A sound like a large drop of water hitting a still pool came from Levi's pocket. "That's a text," he said. "Probably Erwin, wanting to discuss the soccer game."

"Go ahead," she said, glad of something to take the pressure off the conversation. She watched him pull out his phone - he had the kind with the slide-out keyboard. His fingers flew over the buttons as if he could send messages as quickly as speaking. It was... kind of amazing. She sipped her tea.

Levi also drank his tea while waiting for replies to his texts, but as soon as an answer came he set it aside and begin punching buttons again. Finally, he put his phone away. "Sorry about that."

"No problem."

He drained his mug and set it in the already-full sink. "I should go. I'm sure you have homework you need to get to."

"Yeah... don't you?" She had heard that Levi never did any homework, just delegating it to underclassmen who owed him favors.

"Mine won't take long. But you also have to start writing your piece for the paper," he reminded her.

"Mhm." She walked back toward the front door.

"Thank you for the tea."

"It was the least I could do after you gave me a ride and let me into my house."

"Remember -"

"I know, I know. I won't tell anyone." She could understand why he wouldn't want the whole school to know he could pick a lock, but it seemed weird that he was so paranoid about it.

"Right. See you tomorrow, then."

"Sure."

From the corner of a window she watched him pull away, not wanting him to spot her watching. He was a confusing person. She still didn't like his attitude over all, but there was definitely more to him than she had originally thought.

* * *

Levi's POV

* * *

God, but her house was cluttered and dirty. It almost made his flesh crawl. When she offered him something to drink, he immediately asked for tea. _At least if it's something boiled I can be reasonably sure of killing any germs..._

While she looked for tea, he decided to make himself useful by getting out mugs... he opened a few cupboards. Most of them were half-empty. It seemed that most of the dishes were heaped in the sink or littered about the counter-tops. He opened the dishwasher to find a few clean dishes inside, none of which were mugs. If only there were some damn work space... he got a couple of bowls out of the dishwasher and put them in the cupboard that contained plates and bowls. Then he got a saucepan out and put it with the other pots and pans that hadn't been used yet. In searching for the home of the cutting board, he found a ceramic teapot.

"W... what are you doing?"

When he explained himself, she seemed to take offense, even though he had found the teapot for her. Some people just couldn't accept help. He humored her, closing the dishwasher and cupboards.

"So," he said, searching for a topic that was less likely to offend her, "you live here with your mom?"

"Mhm."

"She never remarried, then?" Never having met his father, Levi was always curious about other people's.

She looked a little annoyed at the question. "No."

"Well." He stopped himself. It was none of her business, and he didn't like revealing personal information to someone he didn't know well, but he felt as if it were only fair, since he had asked a personal question first. "Mine never married at all."

"You... were raised by your mom, then?" she asked. Her voice sounded a little off.

He shook his head. "She died when I was about ten."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said with a shrug. "From what I remember, she wasn't a very good mother." In fact, when he was seven, the court had ruled her an _unfit_ mother.

After a pause, Hange asked, "So who did raise you?"

"I live at my uncle's house. He travels a lot though, so I pretty much have the run of the place."

"Really. And your own car." She sounded bored... almost disdainful.

"Yeah." Why would she care about little things like that?

"Um, do you take milk or sugar in your tea?" She picked up the box. "This stuff expired... a couple months ago..."

"Expiration dates are just guidelines to keep the manufacturers from getting sued. Tea keeps better than a lot of products, even other dry goods."

She blinked. "So..."

"I'll have a little milk and/or sugar if it's not any trouble, but I drink it black, too."

"OK." She went to the refrigerator and got out the milk carton. She opened it, took a sniff and made a face. "On the other hand..."

"Let me see."

She handed the carton to him, followed by the cap when he held out his hand for it.

He carefully poured milk into the cap and dumped it into his mouth. He swished it around and swallowed. "It's fine. You're just smelling the milk that collects around the opening. It starts to sour first, away from the rest of it," he explained.

"Oh, OK," she said quietly.

They talked about her mother's job then, and that turned them to the state of Hange's home.

"You know... I'm good at cleaning. I could give you a hand."

She seemed almost to visibly raise her hackles. "I don't want your pity."

"I'm not offering any. It was just a suggestion." Again... couldn't accept help.

Finally, the kettle boiled and soon they had steaming mugs of halfway-decent tea.

Levi's text alert went off. "That's a text," he said. "Probably Erwin, wanting to discuss the soccer game."

"Go ahead," she said.

He opened his phone and brought up his messenger app. Sure enough, it was from Erwin:

 _Titan High just lost a strong attacking midfielder, so our defense won't need much prep. We need to concentrate on our offense._

He tapped the screen and began forming his reply. _Mike and I can handle it. Once I see their lineup I can brief him on strategy.  
_

Erwin answered right away. _Don't forget Petra._

 _I'm not; she's just not the best offense. She'd be a better sweeper._ He took a sip from his mug.

 _You're practically telling me to bench her. She's good._

 _You're biased._

 _You're an ass._

 _I'd hesitate even to put her in Defending Midfielder position._

 _Why?_

 _Enthusiasm isn't the same as strength._

There was longer pause this time, and Levi took another swig of his so-so tea.

Finally, it came: _We will have words, little man._

He grunted. "Sorry about that," he said, putting his phone away.

"No problem."

He drained his mug and set it in the already-full sink. "I should go. I'm sure you have homework you need to get to."

"Yeah... don't you?"

"Mine won't take long. But you also have to start writing your piece for the paper," he reminded her.

"Mhm." She walked back toward the front door.

"Thank you for the tea," he said, mentally reminding himself to pick up his umbrella on the way out. The rain wasn't as heavy now, but it was a big pain if he got his school uniform wet.

"It was the least I could do after you gave me a ride and let me into my house."

That reminded him of the lock-picking job. "Remember -" he started.

"I know, I know. I won't tell anyone."

"Right. See you tomorrow, then."

"Sure."

He turned on the radio on the way home, but the current popular songs didn't appeal to him. He put in a CD instead. The instrumental romantic classics combined with the rain and fog put him in a melancholy mood. He thought about Erwin's favoritism toward Petra. Sure, she was a nice girl, and she definitely smoothed the works in the newsroom, but he seemed to give her a little too much credit where soccer was concerned, and that worried him. Erwin hadn't had a girl friend since sophomore year, and he hadn't done much dating this year at all so far. If he were falling for Petra... It would screw up everything. Their work on the paper, their soccer plays... everything would go to hell.

Thinking of soccer plays going to hell reminded him of Farlan and Isabel, and his stomach clenched. What a hellish first year at Legion High that had been. He took a deep breath and tried to put them out of his mind.

His phone went off again and he ignored it. It was probably just Erwin with another snipe. A couple of minutes later, it went off again. When he pulled up at a stop sign, he got out his phone and checked his messages. They were both from Petra.

 _Don't tell me he told her what I said and made her mad... god, I don't need this shit..._ He opened the first text. It was actually sent to him, Erwin and Mike.

 _Classmate in trouble at 22nd and 3rd. Come quick._

Levi's eyes widened. He put on his turn signal and opened the second text.

 _Hurry, guys... it's getting bad and I can't take them alone._

He exhaled hard, as if he'd been hit in the stomach. "Dammit." He pulled away and sped down the road, sending a quick _"onmyway"_ and knowing he was probably endangering himself and anyone in his vicinity.

The rain had lessened to a light patter by the time he pulled up by the sidewalk where Petra and Mike were waiting.

"Where's Erwin?" he asked as he got out.

"He's got a stupid thing with his family he can't get out of," Petra said. "It's just us."

Levi nodded and followed the others to a dark alleyway.

Mike glanced around the corner. "They're hitting him - we gotta move."

Levi took a look for himself. There was a tall boy holding their classmate's arms behind his back. The classmate was one of their newest soccer players, Swift. He had made great strides this season and Levi had high hopes for him. Two other large boys stood in front of him, taunting him as he struggled.

Swift looked like he was in pain, but still defiant. "You bastards think you can do whatever the hell you want," he said, voice constricted.

"You guys get the one holding him," Levi said quietly. "The two on the left are mine."

"But... Levi," Petra started.

She was cut off by a scream from Swift. The largest boy had stomped down on Swift's instep with all his weight. His attacker loomed over him, jeering.

As Levi ran forward, the light rain helping to muffle his quiet steps, he heard Swift struggle to speak again.

"Just wait until Captain Levi..."

Levi went in low and crashed into the larger boy's knees, effectively crumpling him to the ground. He rolled and sprang up again, fists clenched, eyes full of fire. "I guess you can't help being hideous," he told the boys he recognized from Titan High's soccer team, "but you can't blame me for being sick of looking at you."

The second assailant came at Levi with meaty arm raised, but he easily dodged the attack, sending a fist hard into the larger boy's side as he moved.

The Titan player was pissed off now. "Little creep!" he shouted, trying to follow Levi's movement. He was too slow.

Levi threw his weight against the Titan from behind, each foot landing on the back of a knee before he sprang away again. His enemy was down on his knees in a puddle.

Meanwhile, the first was back up and angrier than a cat with its tail in a trap. He charged, swinging blindly, only to have Levi grab his wrist and use the leverage to spring into the air and plant both black Converse boots in his gut.

The second Titan was nearly back on his feet, and Levi spun around to kick him full in the face. He fell back, grabbing at his nose which was spurting blood.

Levi turned again, throwing his body weight into a punch to the back of the first Titan's jaw. The unfortunate boy screamed in pain when the small fist connected with the pressure point. He'd be lucky if his jaw wasn't dislocated.

The second Titan had scrambled away from Levi and finally gotten up to run away. The one Mike was dealing with followed suit, and the largest soon did as well.

Levi looked down at his hands. His knuckles would be sore for a while... and he seemed to have gotten blood on them, probably from the messy nosebleed. All this in addition to getting his uniform wet. "Disgusting," he muttered.

"Levi..." came Swift's faint voice.

He hurried over to where Petra was supporting their classmate. "I'm here," he said.

"He's hurt bad," Petra said sorrowfully. "I think they broke his foot."

"I called an ambulance," Mike said. "They're on their way."

"I... I won't be able to play," Swift said, the horror showing in his face as it sunk in. "This is it... I'll be out the whole season. Maybe into next season..." He grimaced in pain.

 _Damn Titans. Their offense is weak, so they weaken our defense. This is the only way they know how to play: dirty._

"I did have some good plays though, right?" Swift asked weakly. "Tell me I was some good to the team."

He looked like he was going to cry. Levi took his hand in a firm grip. "You were great out there. Everyone counts. We're still in the tournament because of you."

They could hear a siren; soon the ambulance was at the end of the alley.

"They won't get away with this," Levi said quickly, wanting to say his piece before the first responders could overhear. "I swear. I'll carry the torch for you, and we won't stop until we beat them. Until we win the championship. They can cheat all they want - we'll still crush them."

Swift was drooping and Mike had to help Petra hold him up.

"I... I think he passed out," Petra said. There were tears in her eyes.

Levi let go of his teammate's hand.

The first responders put Swift on a gurney and wheeled him out of the alley while Mike answered a few questions about what had happened.

"Do you think he heard any of that?" Levi asked, staring after their friend. He felt numb, too overwhelmed by his anger and disappointment to feel anything anymore. "Did he hear what I had to say?"

"I think he did," Petra answered softly. "I think you put him at ease."

The ambulance was leaving now. Swift was done for the season. He'd have to go to school in a cast, with crutches, watch the games from the stands, pretend to be enthusiastic for the rest of them and not to be disappointed that his promising career had to be put on hold, with no possibility of earning a scholarship. He might as well be dead.

"We can hope."

* * *

 _End of my first solo chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please comment if you did. ~Levi  
_


	3. Potato, Po-tah-to

_I see that a few people made it to chapter two; curious to know what you think._

* * *

Potato/Po-tah-to

* * *

Levi sent Erwin a text, letting him know what had happened to Swift. He soon got a reply.

 _So much for our strong defense._

 _Put Petra in his place for now,_ Levi suggested.

 _Guess we should._

Levi was satisfied that Petra would be kept to defense rather than offense, but he'd rather she were still further back. One step at a time, he supposed.

When he got home, Kenny's car wasn't in the garage. He wasn't surprised; Kenny had taken off a few days ago and not specified when he planned to come back. The ex-military man could never stay in one place for long.

"Wow, Mister Levi," said the chauffeur/butler, Keith Shardis, on seeing the state his employer's nephew was in, "you sure got your uniform wet. Didn't you have your umbrella?"

"There were complications," Levi said, removing his school uniform's cropped jacket and handing it to Keith. "Any calls?"

"No, sir. Not one."

"Any mail?"

"On the hall table."

"Thank you. I'll go and change; please clean and press my jacket right away. Then the car interior needs drying out."

"Will do. You've got plenty more white shirts, if that's what you want to wear tomorrow. I'm not sure your shoes will be dry in time, though." Keith indicated Levi's striking, lace-up, knee-high Converse hightops.

"They're boots, Keith."

"Excuse me. Boots."

Levi frowned. His feet did feel uncomfortably soggy. Keith was probably right... footwear took forever to dry. "I'll wear the brown riding boots, then."

"Don't you have soccer practice?"

"I'll take my cleats in my bag. I've got MMA club too, but I don't need shoes for that."

"OK, whatever you say. Just don't forget to pack everything you need."

"Tch," was the only answer Levi deigned to give.

He picked up the mail from the hall table on the way to the staircase. He flipped through it, separating the junk from the bills and actual correspondence. He told himself not to expect anything from friends... Erwin was his only real friend anymore anyway, and he would just text. Still, he obviously didn't have his hopes completely in check, because when he saw a letter addressed to himself alone, and in fancy, girly handwriting, he dared for a moment to think...

No. It was from Annie. Erwin's half-sister. He hadn't expected her to write to him...

He remembered how badly Annie had wanted to transfer to a prestigious boarding school, and how thrilled she had been when she received permission to do so mid-year. She wanted Erwin and Levi to attend the boys' campus, but they had decided to stay at Legion High.

"There's soccer team at Cena Academy too," Annie had argued. "They get visits from scouts all the time."

"But the real Scouts are here," Erwin joked, referring to Legion High's team name.

"Very funny. Come on Levi," she said, appealing to her brother's friend. "Aren't you tired of playing these puny little schools all the time?"

"Cena's team plays in different circles," Levi said flatly. "I'm interested only in slaughtering the Titans."

Erwin smiled and slapped Levi on the back. "No budging us, sis. Nice try, though."

She pouted. "Fine. Your dumb team pride is going to keep you from getting a scholarship, though. Only a fraction of the scouts visit your games."

"Just the open-minded ones. Just how I like it."

"Oh, you're impossible." She sighed. "I'll write to you anyway, though..."

Coming out of his reminisce, Levi picked up the ivory letter opener and slipped it under the envelope's flap. Once he had the corner open, he slit the envelop from end to end in one long, quick slice. He was greeted by a wave of perfume that made his eyes water.

 _Dear Levi,_

 _I hope you are keeping my brother out of trouble. I'm settling into Cena and I like my teachers, though a lot of my classmates seem not to take things seriously here. They'd rather loaf around than do their homework. But they'll get their just desserts at the year's end, right? (Here there was a little closed-eyed smiley face.)_

 _I met a funny girl here; her name is Sasha. She says she's friends with a girl at Legion, Hange. I don't remember any Hange. She said they went to junior high together, and they don't get to see each other often anymore, so if you happen to run across this Hange person, you can pass a hello on from Sasha. I told Erwin in his letter, too. Sasha is frickin' hilarious... she said she got in trouble at opening ceremonies because she was eating a potato - a baked potato! - right there in the front row, like it was the normal thing to do. She was in the dean's office until sundown. I wish you could hear her tell it; it sounds a lot funnier._

 _Anyway, I miss you guys and I really hope I get to see you before spring break rolls around. Erwin said you have a Titan game coming up; kick their butts, OK?_

 _Annie_

She had drawn a little heart by her name. Weird.

Levi stuffed the letter back into its envelope to help contain its scent. He threw away the junk mail, left the rest on the table and took his letter to his study, where he opened his filing cabinet.

L for letters... letters from guy friends (a file composed of pieces mostly written to him from classmates at summer camp, or when he was attending soccer camp, karate camp or fencing camp) ... letters from family (a thin folder with hardly anything in it) ... letters from girls (an expanding file, which he opened) ... L for Leonhart, Annie. She had written him only one proper letter before, and it had been on a single sheet of stationery enclosed in a letter to Erwin when Annie was at summer camp, herself. Why the hell was this file so stuffed? Oh, right... half the girls gave him Valentines each year...

"Dammit, Valentine's day is coming up," he grumbled to himself as he closed the file drawer again. He sullenly squelched across the carpet and slumped into his computer chair. He began unlacing his boots while he waited for his laptop to wake up.

Once his boots were off, he felt the full unpleasantness of his wet feet and he peeled his knee socks off hurriedly. He sat cross-legged in the chair, burying his cold, damp feet under his legs.

After sorting through spam emails and game update notifications, Levi opened the message he had been waiting for: an email from his uncle.

 _Hey, kiddo!_

 _Sorry to take off out of the blue like that. This buddy of mine was going to Jade Rose and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go along. We've been hitting the slots a little, but mostly the blackjack table. Haven't won much yet, but haven't lost much either, and I feel lucky! I left the checkbook in my desk drawer so you can have Keith keep the bills up to date if I'm not back in time._

 _Not sure when I'll be back, but I hope it's before too long. Wish me luck and keep the house spotless! lol_

 _~Kenny_

Kenny didn't care much about clutter, but he knew how much it irked Levi; ergo the last comment.

Levi closed the email with a sigh. _It's a sad thing,_ he thought to himself, _when you find yourself to be a more responsible adult than your own guardian._

He changed into dry clothes and put his wet ones in the hall for Keith to take care of. Then he got out his textbooks and settled in to do his homework. If he was lucky, he would be done before it got dark.

* * *

It had taken Hange all evening to get her homework done, mainly because she kept thinking about her weird visit from Levi. When her mother, Ella, finally got home, she decided she had better tell her what had happened. If she found out from someone else, she'd never hear the end of it.

"You just got into the car of a boy you didn't know?" Ella exclaimed.

"I know him... sort of. He asked me to try out for reporter for the school newspaper today."

"Really? Huh."

Hange was a little annoyed that her mother seemed to think the idea a strange one, but she knew how to pick her battles. "So, when he offered me a ride... I mean it was _pouring,_ so..."

"Why didn't you have your umbrella?"

"I forgot to check the weather this morning. I will next time."

"You're going to catch cold for sure," Ella lamented.

"I'm not a baby. I dried out fine..."

"Anyway, who is this Levi? Do I know his parents?"

"...No, I don't think so. He lives with his uncle. His last name is... Ackerman, I think."

Ella's eyes widened. "That could be bad... or good, I guess. The Ackermans tend to be rich." A smile was growing on her face.

"Oh, mom... don't start!" Hange pleaded. Her mother seemed to have only two opinions of boys her age: they were devils or good marriage prospects.

"What? I'm not... but think about it. Is he cute? How old did you say he is?"

Desperate to stop this train of thought, Hange blurted, "He's friends with Erwin Smith."

Silence reigned for a moment. Then Ella said slowly, "Oh... I see."

"And anyway, he's a real smart-mouth and know-it-all, and everyone nice considers him a bit of a snob, so... you know, he _can't_ be very cute, right?" Hange finished, knowing her mother's faulty logic very well.

"I guess he can't," Ella agreed.

"There you go."

"Hm. It's a shame... is he _close_ friends with Erwin?"

"I dunno; seems like it."

"That's too bad. It's so sad that Erwin's taking such an interest in that sweet girl, Petra..."

"Huh? What are you talking about? How do you know stuff like that?"

Ella laughed. "Because Petra's mom is my boss's sister-in-law, silly."

"Oh... should have known it was something like that." Hange sighed. "Look, I just wanted to let you know he drove me home and he came in for a few minutes. Then he left. It was fine."

"Well, all right... Just try to let me know first next time."

"OK." Hange knew she couldn't have let her mother know - she wasn't supposed to interrupt her at work except for emergencies - but she didn't argue. "I'm going to finish my homework," she said.

By the time Ella told her to put her light out, all the homework was done, but she'd barely thought of a topic for her news story. She wasn't sure about it... controversial was good, but annoying her editors was dangerous. She sighed and pulled up her covers. Maybe after a good sleep she would have a better idea, or know how to better present this one.

* * *

She hurried to the newsroom after her last class. She had been scribbling in a notebook between all her classes, and even during a few of them. Even now, her story was barely a complete rough draft, but it would have to do. She paused outside the newsroom door, not wanting to arrive out of breath. As she stood there panting, she heard Erwin's voice from inside.

"I can handle this if you want to go ahead to soccer practice."

"It won't take long," Levi's voice answered. "Give the recruits a chance to warm up without us."

"Have you thought about Valentine's day?"

"More than I care to."

Erwin laughed. "I was thinking... we should do something fun. I might ask Petra to a movie. You should get a girl and we can all go together."

"You know I have no interest in things like that. Anyway, why Petra?"

"Why not? She's really pretty, don't you think?"

Hange was annoyed to hear them talking this way, and it just figured that looks were all Erwin was interested in. She should knock now instead of eavesdropping, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"I guess so," Levi answered, sounding bored.

"Anyway, it doesn't have to be like a date. You could ask anyone. Hey, why not ask Hange?"

Her eyes widened. Her awkward-meter was off the scale... and yet... spending time with the most popular boys in school did have appeal, in spite of her loathing for them.

"Hange?" Levi repeated.

"Sure. She's a little goth, but she's kind of cute under all that."

There was a _very_ long pause. Then Levi said in the same bored tone, "She's tolerable. But not striking enough to tempt me."

She huffed out a little breath. _Goth... tolerable... what a couple of jackasses._ She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Erwin called.

Hange entered the room and thrust her notebook at Erwin's chest. "I didn't have time to type it up," she said. "Sorry."

"No problem..." Erwin took the notebook and passed it to Levi.

Levi leaned on the edge of the desk behind him, resting one foot against its side as his eyes scanned the lined paper. He was wearing riding boots, of all things. Hange hoped he wasn't having trouble reading her writing.

"Um... so, you'll let me know?"

"Yeah, we'll let you know by tomorrow," Erwin said. "Maybe tonight - do you text?"

Her number hadn't changed since they were dating... but as far as Hange knew, Erwin still didn't know that Levi knew they had dated at all. She didn't want to go through the pretense of giving him a number he already had.

"I do..." she said slowly.

Without taking his eyes off the notebook, Levi whipped out his phone and held it out to her. "Put your number in my contacts," he said.

She wasn't crazy about giving Mr. Perfect her number, but it was a preferable alternative to pretending to give it to Erwin for the first time, so she complied.

"I should get going," she said. "I have Lit club."

"And we have soccer," Levi said, reaching for his gym bag, eyes still on the notebook.

Erwin pulled the door wide and let Hange exit first.

"By the way," Erwin said, "I got a letter from my sister at Cena."

Hange halted. Where was this going?

"She met a friend of yours - Sasha. She says hi."

"Oh... thanks." She hurried away to the classroom where her after-school group met.

Annie had met Sasha... "Potato Girl," she said they had nicknamed her at Cena. God, Hange missed her. Sasha might not have a lot in common with her, but she had never made fun of her and was always willing to listen to anything Hange wanted to talk about. That was saying a lot. She hoped Erwin didn't do something stupid, like tell Annie to give Sasha a hard time because he was bitter about what happened between them... No, she told herself, he wouldn't be that petty.

* * *

"Punk," Levi said, when they were alone again, on their way to the locker room.

"Excuse me?" Erwin said sharply.

"You said 'goth.' She's not goth; she's punk. Hange, I mean."

"Oh. Well... potato, po-tah-to... What's the difference?"

"Music style primarily, but also subtle differences in appearance that I wouldn't expect you to pick up on."

"Well then, it's a good thing I have you around to pick up on it for me, right?"

"Sure."

The locker room was nearly deserted; they were late.

"You should know," Levi told him, as he pulled off his jacket, "I know about you and Hange."

Erwin paused only a moment before going back to getting his soccer uniform out of his locker. "Which version have you heard?" he asked.

"Hers."

"OK... do you think less of me?"

"I don't think so... except maybe for one thing." Levi finished unbuttoning his shirt and folded it neatly before pulling on his soccer jersey.

"Which is?" Erwin prompted.

"Did you ever apologize to her? I can see you're trying to be genteel toward her, and actions go a long way, but sometimes words mean more to a girl."

"Mm." Erwin laced up his cleats meticulously before he answered. "No, I haven't officially apologized to her."

"I won't presume to tell you what to do, but... I hope you'll consider it."

Their friendship was an unusual one - Levi respected Erwin as his elder and as a senior, not to mention as a person who could easily destroy him if he chose. However, in many particular matters, Erwin deferred to Levi's judgment, and that had become more and more the case throughout this school year.

"I will," Erwin answered.

They finished getting dressed and Erwin put an arm across Levi's shoulders. "I'm sure everyone will have noticed Swift's not here by now," he said. "Let's go give them a reality check, Captain."

"Yes, sir," Levi answered grimly. Sometimes he called Erwin "Coach" and sometimes even "Commander," when he was in a whimsical mood. But when the occasion was solemn and called for respect, it was "sir." Always.

* * *

 _Soccer practice next. Eren, Mikasa and Armin will come in soon. Hope you're enjoying it.  
_


	4. Rumors and Plans

_Welcome, travelers. You have reached chapter 4... rather shorter than the last.  
_

* * *

Rumors and Plans

* * *

Levi listened as Erwin explained to the team that Swift had been hospitalized and wouldn't be able to play at all that season. He let the news sink in a bit before continuing.

"You may have heard that he was absent due to an 'accident,' but in fact Swift was taken out by a group of Titan High students. One of them crushed his left foot."

The team murmured within itself, things like "How could they get away with something like that?" and "Is he OK?"

"Levi was there when it happened," Erwin said, putting up his hand for silence. "Captain?"

Levi, who had been resting his weight on one side, straightened up and addressed the team. "Petra came across the scene and called several of us to come assist her." He related how the Titan players had acted, and how one of them had broken Swift's foot. The team cringed at the details.

"So, you see how important it is that we win this one," Erwin resumed. "We need to do it for Swift. And we need to take this incident as a grim reminder that the Titans aren't afraid to fight dirty. We need to be at our absolute best. That's why we're having another special practice tomorrow night. Any questions before we get started?"

A slight, blond boy at the back raised his hand tentatively.

"Arlert?"

The boy made the team spirit salute. "Sir, I know I've been asking to play, but... in light of what's at stake, I think I should sit this game out and let the more experienced players handle it." He bowed his head respectfully.

"I'll talk to you about that in a moment," Erwin said. "Anything else?"

A boy with angular features and a creative hair dye job raised his hand.

"Kirstein?"

"Have you heard from Coach Pixis?"

"Not yet. Tonight, I'll make sure he's been informed of the situation. As for the coach's condition, I've had no update since our last practice. Anything else?"

No one else raised their hands.

"All right, split into two teams and get ready for a practice match. Arlert, stay with us."

The other players jogged away to the soccer field and the blond boy approached Erwin and Levi timidly. Up close, Levi noticed that he had bruising on his face. He had quite skillfully covered it with makeup, but Levi knew the marks too well to be fooled.

"I know you want us to have our best chance, Armin," Erwin said, "but at the very least, we need you present."

"I... I'll be present, sir. But what good can I do? Honestly, I don't even know how I made it through tryouts."

"You can do a lot of good," said Levi.

"He's right," Erwin agreed. "I didn't recruit you for your talent in soccer. I recruited you because you're smart. You're what - fourteen? but you're already a shoe-in for president of the chess club next year. You're good at logic and problem-solving. I think once you learn to apply your skills to soccer, you could be my new play-maker. So don't sell yourself short, OK?"

"OK. Thank you."

"Even if you weren't any good to us strategically or physically," Levi added, "if something were to happen that put us in danger of not having the required number of players on the field, just standing there doing nothing would keep us from having to forfeit the match. Everyone counts."

Armin looked more confident. "You're right. I'll do my part, Captain. There's one other thing..."

"Go ahead," said Erwin.

"As you know, I didn't go to Legion Junior High. I attended a different school, and I had some good friends there. We all wanted to go to Legion High, but Eren's family couldn't afford the commute every day, so he and Mikasa went to Titan High. I wanted to stay with them, but... anyway, that's not important. What is important is that my grandfather knows how much it means to me to have them around... they protected me from bullies and stuff. So, he said if we did without some luxuries for a while, Eren and Mikasa could live with us during the school year. They're moving in this weekend and they'll start school here Monday."

"Eren played on Titan's soccer team, right? I heard he would be starting here next week."

"That's right. Mikasa's never played on a team, but she practices with Eren and he says she's actually better than he is."

"So, what's the concern?"

"Eren got suspended from Titan High and kicked off their team. He said the Legion school board isn't wanting to let him play here."

This was news to Levi, but Erwin didn't seem surprised.

"Does he have any evidence to defend his actions?"

"Nothing solid, I'm afraid."

"Well, the board is going to meet with him about that on Monday. I think you should be there as a character witness. You know - tell them how long you've known Eren and why you think he's a good kid and why they should let him play for us. Think you can do that?"

Armin nodded. "Just tell me when I need to be there. Team sports mean a lot to Eren, especially Soccer. He'll be super disappointed if he doesn't get on the team here."

"Well, one step at a time. Now, you'd better get out there and warm up with the others."

"Yes, sir." Armin hurried to join his teammates.

Levi picked up a soccer ball and walked beside Erwin to the edge of the field. "What exactly did this Eren do to get himself kicked off the Titan team? The Titans' coach doesn't give a damn that his players cheat, so how could he manage to get in trouble?"

"The story is, he attacked his own teammates."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that would do it."

"We'll see what happens Friday."

"I'd like to be at that board meeting."

"I'll see if I can get you in." Erwin cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "All right, team captains, get your teams to opposite sides of the field!"

Levi passed the ball to Erwin and he carried it to the middle of the field to begin the mock game. What position would Eren play? Was he the strong attacking midfielder Erwin had told him about? He hoped so, but in any case, meeting him was sure to be interesting.

* * *

Levi read Hange's story during whatever downtime he found between soccer and MMA club. When he was finally ready to go home, he texted Erwin.

 _Still at school?_

 _About to leave,_ came Erwin's reply.

 _Finished Hange's story._

 _And?_

 _It's crap._

 _Really?_

 _No. Not really. Meet at my car._

In the parking lot, Levi handed the notebook to Erwin, leaning against the hood of his car. As Erwin began skimming Hange's story, he said, "Her boldness is what I liked about her writing in the first place, but you see how it backfired."

"I see what you mean... she really went to town on us, didn't she?" Erwin smiled, pointing out a choice sentence. "'Equality in the masses means equality between classes.' That's catchy."

"Yeah. It's good stuff, mechanically. She's got exactly what we want..."

"Plus a death wish for us."

"Exactly."

"Did you show it to Petra?"

"No... I'm afraid she'd want to print the damn thing."

"Eh, no one expects us to print something she wrote as a trial run."

"Sure, but if we hire her based on this story, she'll want to know why we're _not_ printing it."

"Are you sure we can't?"

Levi blinked at him in disbelief. "Of course, we can't. If we print that story, we'll look like hypocrites. I mean, unless you want to start car-pooling with underprivileged freshmen and giving out tiramisu at lunch."

"Heh, well... I think you're exaggerating, but I see your point. But can we afford _not_ to hire her?"

"It's not like the paper is a real business... yes, we want people to read it, but our careers don't depend on circulation."

"Still..." Erwin rubbed his chin. "This is kind of a trial run for real life. You do still want to go into business with me eventually, right?"

"Yes."

"So, what would we do if this were a real business?"

"Best-case scenario... we hire her, but don't print the story."

"OK. I think we can do that if we tell her we thought it was good, but we need to see more before we're completely sold. We'll keep Ilse and Mike on staff as backup reporters in case she can't deliver what we need."

Levi nodded. "I guess that will have to do. But you realize she'll think we're full of shit."

"She probably thinks we are already, so... not much to lose."

"True."

* * *

Hange found Ilse in Literature club. The girl was always writing in a journal. Hange had wanted to talk to her before, but always felt she would be intruding.

"Hey," she said, leaning toward the smaller girl.

"Oh, hi." Ilse looked up as if surprised to see another human being.

"You're Ilse, right? You write for the school paper?"

"Yeah, I do. Oh! You're Hange."

"Yeah. Mind if I sit by you?"

"Sure, absolutely," Ilse said, moving her book bag out of the way. "How's it going for you with the paper so far?"

"I'm not exactly in yet... Levi and Erwin are reading over my trial report."

"Cool. I love those guys so much." Ilse ducked her head and said quietly, "I'm trying to write some poems for them for Valentine's Day... you wanna critique for me?"

"Oh..." Hange was surprised. She hadn't expected Ilse to be part of the Erwin/Levi fan club. But then, most girls at Legion High were, so... "I guess so. Poetry isn't really my thing, but I'll take a look."

"Sweet." Ilse flipped some pages in her journal. "Just promise you won't tell anyone about it."

"I won't; I promise." Hange took the journal and read Ilse's rough drafts. The first was:

 _"Erwin_

 _I love to see your smiling eyes_

 _That light up the newsroom each day._

 _They make me think of morning skies_

 _And take my blues away."_

"It's... cute," Hange said at last. "Are you sure you want to say this to Erwin?"

"Well, yeah..." Ilse twiddled her fingers, looking down again. "I mean, it's all true. Do you think it will annoy him?"

"I doubt it," Hange answered flatly. _Self-centered jerk will probably take it in stride..._ She went on to the second poem.

 _"Levi_

 _You set our headlines and also set trends,_

 _You're very tough and smart._

 _I don't have any gift for you_

 _So I hope you like this heart."_

"I'm going to put it on heart-shaped paper," Ilse explained. Then she added, "I couldn't find a way to make A and C rhyme, so it's not as good as Erwin's."

Hange didn't think either poem was particularly good, but she knew better than to say so. "Um... how about 'I have no gift I can extend,'" she suggested, cringing at how out-of-place the language seemed.

"Oh, nice. That might work."

She seemed so happy, scribbling notes around her poetry, that Hange almost didn't have the heart to say anything else. "Listen... you don't really have a crush on either of them, right?"

Ilse looked up in surprise. "Huh? I thought _everyone_ had a crush on _both_ of them... well, all the girls, at least. But probably some of the guys, too."

"I... don't know about that..."

"It's not like I think I have a _chance_ with either of them," Ilse went on. "I just want them to know I'm one of the faithful... that I admire and respect and appreciate them..." She looked at her poetry again. "I hope it comes across."

Hange blinked. It was as if Ilse were a follower of the Er-vi cult or something... She seemed stressed out over it, but oddly... happy at the same time. "Do other girls send them crap... er, I mean do they send them Valentines and stuff like this...?"

"Oh, gods, yes! That's why I decided to do poetry this year. I don't want to be like everyone else, with the store-bought foil cards and the chocolates and such. I want them to at least remember it a little while."

The club captain asked them to quiet their conversation then, so Hange left the subject alone. _Poor Ilse... how many other girls are swooning over them right now?_

* * *

She was almost home when she got a text from Levi. _  
_

 _We'll take you on staff conditionally. Planning to keep Ilse & Mike as backup until sure you can handle it full-time. Need at least 2 stories/articles a week._

She was a little surprised. After she'd roasted them so severely in her trial story, she had expected them to retaliate in some way, not welcome her to the team. She felt a little unprepared. They would need another story from her before the end of the week. Two, actually, since there was no way in hell they would print the one she had already given them.

She could write about the upcoming soccer game - she had never taken an interest in sports before, but she knew that Legion's rivalry with Titan High was age-old and bitter. That might actually be interesting to research. As for the other story...

She thought about Sasha and how much she missed her. Erwin's sister was at the same school now... and she'd heard a rumor that a couple of Titan High students were starting at Legion next week. Her second story could be about transfer students: who transfers into Legion High, who transfers out, and why.

She quickened her pace, eager to get to a computer and start typing up her ideas.

Once she got there (fortunately not without her keys this time), she fired up her mother's computer and checked her email. To her surprise, she had a message from Sasha.

 _Hey, Hange!_

 _Guess what - I get to come see you at Valentine's Day! My new friend Annie is going back and her family is like, super rich or something. She offered to take me along and I was like, Totally! So I'll see you in less than two weeks. I'm so excited! Save me some chocolates and a cute boy, okay?_

 _Looooooove, Sasha!_

Hange smiled and shook her head. No one could brighten her day like Sasha. She quickly typed an answer saying she was glad to be seeing her friend soon. Then she opened her word processor and got to work.

* * *

 _I'm tempted to take a hiatus from this since it's not getting any feedback. But I do enjoy writing it, so we shall see.  
_


	5. Desperate Measures

_Thank you for the enthusiasm, earthraindragon1 and Kayla Ackerman-Smith. Here's chapter 5._

* * *

Desperate Measures

* * *

The extra practice Thursday night seemed to pay off. The Legion Scouts were in top form on the afternoon of Friday's game. However, no amount of training could make up for the fact that there were only nine players on their team.

"The Titans will be playing with a full team of eleven," Erwin told the team in the locker room. "I wasn't too concerned about our numbers when we had Swift, but now we're at a serious disadvantage. Not only will they have more men on the field, but they will have fresh substitutes. To deal with this handicap, some of you are going to have to conserve your energy for the second half. If you're not close to the ball, don't run for it."

Levi saw that Armin looked ready to throw up any second. He pulled the younger student aside. "Nerves?" he asked.

Armin nodded. "I've seen what they can do... everyone on the Titans' team is huge and I'm so small..."

The captain looked around to be sure no one was eavesdropping and said, "I'm going to tell you something that you must never repeat to anyone, understand?"

"Y-yes, sir..." Armin looked up at him, curious in spite of his nerves.

"It's just a game. If we lose, no one's going to hate you for it. We'll come back stronger next time. In the meantime, if all you do is stand in the Titans' way and study their game for next time, that's still progress, right?"

"Yeah."

"Let's see your team spirit."

Armin gave the team salute.

"Good man. Let's go."

Erwin had drawn the players' positions on a whiteboard and was finishing up a quick review. "Christa, you're going to have to be midfielder and defender since Swift is out; use your judgment. Everyone know where you need to be?"

Shouts of "Yes, sir!" followed.

"Remember, the Titans are an all-boys team. This is the first year that Legion High has allowed a combined team. This is because without the girls, we would barely have qualified with seven members. Without Swift, a co-ed team is our only hope of survival. If we can't win against all-boy teams, we won't be able to play, because there are how many other co-ed teams in our league?"

"Zero," Jean supplied.

"Exactly. We have to do well this year so they won't shut us down. The Legion High soccer team used to be much stronger, with twice as many members. Let's make it proud again. Make our freshmen next year eager to sign up. Are you ready?"

The team made its response with a salute. Levi thought it looked a little half-hearted, especially on the part of the younger students.

They filed out onto the field: Erwin, Levi, Petra, Mike, and Ilse, followed by the four underclassmen: Jean, Marco, Christa and Armin.

"This is my last game," Jean said to Marco as they lined up at the edge of the pitch.

"You've been saying that all year," Marco replied, smiling.

"Well, this time I mean it. I've applied to Cena and I'm getting transferred."

"Way to create morale, Kirstein," Levi snapped at him.

Jean clamped his mouth shut.

Christa and Armin looked very grim. Armin took Christa's hand as the anthem played.

The Titans stood across from them: nineteen of the tallest, most muscle-bound players ever to sully a high school soccer field. Levi narrowed his eyes when he looked at numbers four, five and fifteen, recognizing them as Swift's attackers. _Not today,_ he vowed. _You're not scoring off my team today._

Even though he had been playing since middle school, Levi still felt a little flutter in his stomach as the ball was brought onto the pitch. Kickoff was a brutal tease: a moment that seemed like magic followed by the harsh reality of game play. He swallowed and focused on the ball, noting the positions of the opposing team in his peripheral vision. _This is my field. That's my ball. It's going in that goal, and no one's going to stop me._

Erwin had lost the pre-game coin toss, which suited Levi fine. The Titans could play whatever direction they pleased, for all he cared. The pitch ran north and south, and the sun was setting in the west; having it at his left or right made little difference. What mattered was that they got the kickoff.

Mike and Erwin moved to the center of the field and Levi could feel the tension of the entire team behind him. Mike drew his foot back to kick and Levi drew in a breath.

* * *

Hanji had never cared a bit about Legion's sporting events, but as a reporter she took a keen interest in this one. She was proud of herself for managing to corner the Titans' coach before the game began, and get him to answer a few questions, though he seemed extremely reluctant to talk. She also had a start on her story about transfer students, but right now the Legion-Titan rivalry was foremost in her mind.

She found out who the team captain was and determined to talk to him at half-time. She hadn't realized that Ilse was on the soccer team - she hadn't paid the lineup any attention before. She sat by herself at the edge of the stands on Legion's side, wishing it had occurred to her to bring a pair of binoculars. The Titans all seemed huge compared to their opponents, and there were definitely more of them. She made a note to learn more about the rules of the game before completing her story. She felt unprepared to report on the game itself.

The players jogged onto the field and took their positions. Ilse was the goal keeper, a position Hanji would not have expected for the petite girl. Petra and Armin stayed near her as defenders. Jean, Marco and Christa were midfielders. Erwin, Mike and Levi were closest to the center of the field. Hanji couldn't remember what their position was called, but she knew they were expected to be the ones scoring goals. It was unsurprising that the self-centered student body representative and his sidekick would want the glamorous roles for themselves. She was surprised they hadn't chosen Petra to stand with them instead of Mike - having a cute girl to contrast with seemed like their style.

Levi hung back from Mike and Erwin as the referee placed the ball in the middle of the field. She found herself holding her breath as she waited for Mike to make the first kick. Then his foot came forward and the ball moved diagonally in front of him toward Erwin, who was already running up to receive it.

It looked to Hanji like Erwin didn't even aim; he just caught the ball and kicked it behind him, straight to Levi who was waiting for it. _Oh, my gosh... I don't even like sports, but that was... really cool._

Levi took the ball into the virtual forest of Titans ahead of him. He looked so tiny in his green jersey that blended with the lighter green of the turf. She could see his legs clearly - pale silver shorts, a small section of bare leg and then white knee socks over his brown and white cleats made the action easy to track. He ducked this way and that, kicking the ball far enough ahead of him to maintain a good speed, but not so far ahead that it could be easily intercepted.

The Titans didn't seem quite so agile, but their strides were so much longer than Levi's that it seemed inevitable that they would catch him eventually. Three of their players closed in on him, and Hanji was sure he would lose control of the ball - but then he gave it a powerful kick and the checkered sphere sailed under the leg of his nearest opponent.

Mike was waiting to continue the campaign. He wasn't Legion's fastest player, but he was tall and there were few Titans in his path. He covered half the remaining distance to the Titan goal in moments, met at last by their defenders. He leaped forward, poised to take a goal shot.

Hanji thought the Titan's goal keeper looked ready for him; she doubted Mike would make the shot. Then he kicked, not at the goal, but toward its far edge where Erwin was waiting. _How did he get there?!_ Hanji had all but forgotten the team leader once Levi moved the ball forward. Now she couldn't take her eyes off him as he effortlessly received Mike's pass, aimed and sent the ball speeding toward the Titan's goal. The keeper was too slow; Legion High scored the first point.

For some stupid reason she was on her feet cheering. It was as if some strange force had control of her body. _Well, even if it was that jerk, it was a good play. And it's the whole team that scored, not just him._ She had to admit, the... forwards - that's what they were called - had great chemistry.

The Titans still didn't seem intimidated, but Hanji thought they did seem a little irked. She started taking notes for her rivalry story.

The game continued and the Titans had control of the ball. Jean and Marco did the bulk of the maneuvering for a while, trying to intercept the ball. Finally, Marco succeeded in sending the ball to Jean before tripping over a Titan's ankle. Marco went all the way down, face-first in the turf. The Titan player, number fifteen, ended up on all fours, glaring daggers at Marco.

Jean, meanwhile, was fighting his way back toward center field. He was obviously tiring, and it looked like he might not be able to run much longer. Then suddenly Christa was there, receiving the ball from Jean and sending it back to Erwin. Less than two minutes later, Legion had scored its second goal.

It seemed like victory was a near-certainty, but after that, things started to go wrong. Over all, the Legion team clearly had less stamina. The Titans would get slightly winded after a hard run, but then they seemed good as new again. It was as if fatigue couldn't touch them, as if they took energy from the waning sunlight itself. The Scouts began to make mistakes. They began to take falls. Finally, about twenty minutes after the game began, the large number four player crashed through Christa's and Ilse's defense and scored.

Christa was on the ground, clutching her side. The referee called a time out and the Scouts crowded around her. Hanji held her breath again, wondering what exactly had happened. She saw Levi get up and talk to the referee. Then Erwin was helping Christa to stand and the players were taking their places again. They gathered around one of the goals and Mike took the ball from the referee within the large box around the goal. At the whistle, Mike kicked the ball forward and the Titans rushed in around him. Somehow he got through to make the goal, and the teams dispersed again. Hanji vaguely understood that it had been some sort of penalty play awarded to the Scouts for the foul on Christa.

 _I really need to understand this game better,_ she thought dismally, not really wanting to bother with the research.

As the game went on, the fouls became more numerous and more serious. The Scouts had enjoyed a healthy lead for a while, but by the end of the first half, the Titans were up by one point, and most of the Scout players had been fouled at some point.

Hanji found herself feeling very sorry for the little team. The Titans were switching out players even though none of them seemed very tired; meanwhile, the Scouts had no fresh players to send in for the second half. A few non-player students went out to the team with towels and water and Hanji half wished she were one of them. She hoped no one was seriously injured; it looked like Marco was having trouble standing. The school nurse came out and examined him at the side of the field. She waited anxiously.

 _This was only the first half... do they even have enough healthy players left to keep going?_

* * *

Levi's blood boiled when Christa went down. He had been determined not to let number fifteen get anywhere near the goal box. The team gathered around Christa and she explained that the Titan player had elbowed her in the ribs.

Levi got up and explained to the referee what had happened. Fifteen claimed the contact had been an accident, but the Scouts were still awarded a direct free kick as a result of the foul. After that, it was foul after foul. The referee gave out yellow cards like they were fortune cookies, and even dismissed a few Titan players from the field, but more kept coming. They were in rough shape at the end of the first half. Marco's injury seemed particularly bad.

Underclassmen brought towels and water to them and Levi availed himself of both, keeping an eye on the nurse and Marco. Armin unexpectedly seemed to take heart at the presence of a couple of his classmates. Of all people to get his morale together at this, of all times... Armin was so inexperienced at conserving his energy, and so unused to all the running that he was wheezing with every other breath, and his voice sounded hollow when he talked. He also had the beginnings of what was likely to be a black eye tomorrow.

Finally, the Nurse met with Levi and Erwin.

"I'm not sure just how bad it is," she told them, "but it's definitely serious enough that he shouldn't play anymore today. I think we ought to send him to the ER, just to be safe."

 _We're dropping like flies... Marco can't play... I don't think it would be moral to send Armin back out at this point, and Ilse got smacked so bad in the last few minutes, she might have a concussion. Can we play? Will we have to forfeit?_

"If we have to, we have to," Erwin told the nurse. "Go ahead and call an ambulance for him."

"Excuse me."

Levi turned to see Armin standing next to him with two other students, one whose face Levi couldn't place... the other he knew all too well. "Yes?"

"Captain, these are my friends, Eren and Mikasa."

"Eren... Jaeger?"

"That's right," said Eren, putting out his hand.

Levi shook Eren's hand stiffly, sizing up the brown-haired boy. _THAT Eren. Why didn't I put that together?_ "I didn't know you'd be here today."

"We wanted to see Armin play," Mikasa explained. She had mid-length black hair and striking dark eyes.

"We've been talking," said Armin. "Obviously, Marco can't play anymore. I don't think I could so much as stand on the field for much longer, and Ilse's not much better off. We're all bruised and/or winded... except maybe you, sir..."

"Yes, it's looking like we may have to forfeit," Levi said impatiently.

"That's what I thought. But... I had an idea."

"Spit it out."

"Well, I know Eren and Mikasa aren't officially enrolled yet, and Eren's probation is up in the air... but if we don't have any subs, we have to forfeit anyway. So..."

"You're suggesting we put in players that aren't even on the roster? That's totally illegal."

"Coach," Marco called to Erwin from the sidelines, "I think your phone is ringing."

Levi followed Erwin to his gym bag and watched him dig out his phone.

"It's Coach Pixis," Erwin said as he touched the screen to receive the call. "Hello, Coach. Levi's here too; I'll put you on speaker."

"Hello, boys," the coach's voice said strongly. "Swift's been texting me a play-by-play of your game. Pretty rough, eh?"

"We're managing as best we can," Erwin answered, "but... it looks like we'll have to forfeit."

"So he told me. I'm sorry it has to come to this, and for such unfair reasons."

"I know... they don't seem interested in playing ball with us - they're just injuring us until we don't have enough players to make a team."

Levi glanced back at Armin. He and his friends were still looking at him earnestly. _Jaeger... My god, I hate you. But... if you can do some good for this team, then I guess I'll have to tolerate you._ "Arlert did have an idea, Coach," he said, a little reluctantly. When Pixis told him to go on, he explained Armin's suggestion.

"Let me get this straight," Pixis said slowly. "You have no chance as things stand - you have to forfeit if you don't have at least one fresh player?"

"That's the way I see it," said Erwin.

"And using Jaeger won't go unnoticed - you'll have to concede the game in the end because he has no right to be on the field."

"That's right," said Levi.

"And what is the difference between those options?"

"The chance to fight back," Levi said immediately. "To save some morale and show those bastards they have a real team to deal with."

"Exactly. But I wouldn't let any of your teachers hear you use that sort of language, Ackerman."

"Sorry, sir."

"In any case, I _can't_ recommend that you use this plan... if I did that, I'd probably be forbidden to come back even when I'm in good health again. You understand. But I trust you boys to choose wisely."

"Thank you, sir," said Erwin. "It was good to hear from you, and I hope you're able to come back soon."

"So do I, my boy. Good luck!"

Erwin put his phone away and looked at Levi. After a moment of silent communication, Levi nodded.

"Do it," said Erwin.

"Ilse, come with me," Levi called, heading back over to Armin and his friends. When they were gathered, he said, "All right, listen up. Armin, you give your uniform to Eren. Ilse, you give yours to Mikasa."

Ilse looked amazed. "But... Captain... don't you think they'll notice...?"

"Of course they will, but if we act confident about it, no one will question it until the game is over."

"But we'll be penalized..."

"You think I don't know that? If we don't do something, we have to forfeit anyway!"

Ilse sobered.

"Now come on - we have about five minutes before the ball is back in play."

He went back to the locker room with them, the girls ducking around a corner to change while the boys stayed in the main area.

"What positions do you play?" Levi asked.

"Forward," Eren and Mikasa said at the same time.

"You've never even played in a real game," Eren griped. "You should be on defense."

"You know my attack would be just as strong as yours - maybe even stronger - if not for your... special advantages. And it's my best position. But you're good in any position, so let me be the forward."

"Like hell!"

"Listen," Armin cut in. "I know you're both good forwards, but we have to think about strategy. To be honest, even with the two of you, I doubt we can win. But what we can do is pull off a tie if we do it right."

"Listen to the shrimp," Levi advised.

"If we can get one more goal in, we'll be tied," Armin went on. "Then we can just keep the ball in play until the time runs out. The strategy becomes not scoring, but keeping the Titans from scoring. In this situation a tie is as good as a win if we get to make fools of them in the process."

"So, it makes sense to put the tougher player in defense," Levi concluded. "How are you at goal keeping, Jaeger?"

"He's good," Mikasa said, coming around the corner again in Ilse's uniform.

"Then it's settled. Swift was one of our best defenders; you're going to have to fill the gap."

Eren glared at Levi, but he didn't argue.

Half time was nearly over when the players returned to the field.

"Quick, everyone," Levi said, and the team gathered around him. "Mike, you take Marco's place in the midfield. Mikasa's with us. We're going to try to get a goal in right away while we're fresh. After that, it's all defense. Don't let the Titans score again. Eren's our last line of defense, so make it hard for them to get to him. Defend Eren at all costs."

The team looked a little confused, but ready to take orders. It was the best Levi could hope for under the circumstances. He made the Scouts' salute and the other players returned it - even Eren and Mikasa, if a bit slower than the others.

"Be careful," Levi heard Mikasa tell Eren. "Don't lose your head out there, or you'll end up banned for good."

"You don't have to tell me that," he snapped.

"I'm trying to make sure that you..."

"You're trying to be my mom." He gave her a little push as he turned away. "I've got this."

The push wasn't hard; Levi was surprised that Mikasa took even a single, small step backward. But that step caused her to slip on someone's water bottle, lose her balance and fall backward onto the ground. She caught herself mostly on one elbow, and when she got up, Levi saw that it was bleeding. The icing on the cake was that Eren hadn't even noticed. He was still walking resolutely toward the goal box as if someone were forcing him to eat salad with a seasoning of crushed beetles.

"Are you all right?" Levi asked.

"Fine," she answered.

She wasn't a girly-girl, then. That was a good sign. He nodded. "Let's go. You'll make the kickoff. Then get as far down-field as you can; Erwin and I will bring the ball to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're ready to trust me so easily?"

"We're tired. What choice do I have?"

The referee blew his whistle and they hurried to their places.

"Besides," Levi added, coming to stand near her, "Armin told us you're good. That's good enough for me."

The ball was on the field again. This was it. Their last chance to keep from being utterly defeated. Resting on the shoulders of an unpredictable girl and her ace-in-the-hole adoptive brother whom Levi despised.

 _I failed Farlan and Isabel my freshman year... failed them badly. But you failed Isabel first, Jaeger, and I won't forget that, whatever happens here today._

* * *

 _There's a nice cliff-hanger for you. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I apologize if I got any soccer information wrong. Feel free to help me improve the authenticity.  
_


	6. Pyrrhic Victory

_Thank you for the comments. The story has 4 reviews now, 2 favorites and 1 little follower. Thank you!  
_

 _61 visitors across 14 countries... that's pretty cool, too. I hope you enjoy the newest chapter._

* * *

Pyrrhic Victory

* * *

"Yeah, we're pretty much pulverizing them," Arthur "Armor" Moore of Titan High boasted when Hanji asked him how he thought the game was going. "We were strong in the first half; we'll murder 'em in the second."

Hanji took down his words. "Would you say your team plays harder against Legion than they do against other teams?"

"I wouldn't say that," he answered. "But it probably looks like that because they're so puny and we enjoy beating them so much."

"So you'd agree that there is a sort of rivalry between Titan High and Legion High?"

"Definitely. That's half the fun, isn't it?"

"Moore," the Titans' coach called, "half time's almost up. Let's get focused."

Armor nodded. "Catch you later... what was your name?"

"Hange. Hange Zoe."

"Catch you later, Hange." He winked and jogged off.

Hange grimaced and rotated her shoulders to shake off the weird vibe he gave her. He was definitely disagreeable... but somehow fascinating as well.

She returned to her spot in the stands in time to see the players taking up their positions. _That's funny... I don't see the skinny blond kid that got hurt so bad in the first half... That's not Ilse at the goal box, either. I didn't think they had any subs, but I guess they found some someplace._

The new girl kicked the ball to Levi who quickly passed it to Erwin. The boys had a difficult task ahead of them, avoiding Titans and getting the ball up near the goal. Hange was more observant now, and saw the girl working her way up away from the other players. Levi took a shot at passing to her, but a Titan intercepted the ball and, like a wave on the beach, the movement changed direction all at once.

Erwin chased down the opposing team's midfielder currently in possession of the ball while Levi and the new girl ran along the outside of the knot of players. It looked like Levi was saying something to her, but there was little chance of anyone else on the field overhearing, let alone anyone in the stands.

Mike blocked the oncoming attack, kicking the ball back between the Titan forward's legs to return it to Erwin. Erwin passed it to Levi and the flow of players turned again.

Levi took the ball back over the half-way line and proceeded to close nearly half the remaining distance to the Titan goal before the opposition caught up to him. More than ever, he looked tiny in comparison to the Titan players, all of whom were at least a head taller than him. He took his chance and delivered a powerful kick that sent the ball between players at high speed. It bounced and rolled across the ground to Erwin, who stopped it with the side of his foot and sent it forward again.

Number Four ran up to block Erwin's progress, but he kicked it across to the new girl, who was waiting just outside the penalty area.

Hange clenched her fists. "Come on, you can do it," she whispered.

The girl drew her leg back to kick. Her head was directed toward the center of the goal, and the Titan's goal keeper moved that way, too. The girl kicked hard, the ball flew forward, and hit the net to the goal keeper's right, where he had been just moments before. Her feint and accuracy had paid off. The score was tied.

* * *

Levi cursed under his breath when his pass was blocked by Number Five. Fifteen had been sidelined by the coach, but Four and Five were just as bad in Levi's opinion - they had held Swift while Fifteen broke his foot.

Drawing near Mikasa, he told her breathlessly, "Try again."

"Won't they be expecting it?"

"Yes, which is why we need to double-bluff. They'll think you're a decoy this time. Same strategy!"

Mikasa nodded. She hung back on the Titan's side of the field and soon the ball passed from Mike to Erwin to Levi and it was time to try their strategy for the second time. She made her advance obvious, driving toward the goal without even watching the ball. Levi even worried a little that she was being too obvious, but no... the Titans would underestimate them. They wouldn't see the double bluff coming.

A wall of Titans was closing in now and Levi's lungs were burning. He knew he had to pass. He made a show of looking at Mikasa before sending the ball to Erwin. Number Four was ready to ambush Erwin, who was heading for the goal box, but he made a pass to the right. He trusted his peripheral vision to aim properly and Mikasa to make the receipt so he could keep Number Four confused as he kept his gaze on the goal.

The double bluff complete, Mikasa gave them one additional bluff, looking for all the world like she was aiming for the center of the goal, but driving to the outside instead. The goal keeper realized his mistake too late.

"Defense!" Levi ordered.

The forwards fell back into midfielder positions and Jean retreated to defender. The Titans looked satisfyingly confused when all nine Scouts were there to face their attack.

They were almost fifteen minutes into the second half; the Titans had thirty minutes to regain the lead. Yet for some reason, the Scouts seemed interested only in keeping the ball in play. Puzzled, the forwards continued vainly trying to get near the goal while their midfielders and defenders got bored and started crossing their arms and shifting their weight. Finally, the midfielders started coming up to join the offense, trying to break through the strangely impenetrable wall in front of them. The defenders started creeping up to midfield position, annoyed that their comrades continued to fail time and time again.

With ten minutes left in the game, nearly all the Titans were on the Legion side of the field. One of them finally broke through, driving hard at the goal. Jean tried to block him and got knocked to the side, but Christa managed to intercept, sending the ball to Mike, who kicked it forward, seeming to aim almost randomly for the most open spot near a green-clad player.

The player was Mikasa, and she immediately power-housed the ball back into Titan territory. She started to run after it, and Levi knew what she was thinking: The Titan goal was open... she could score again and win the game.

"Mikasa!" he shouted.

She looked back at him, and her step faltered when their eyes met.

"Save your strength - let them chase their tails!"

She seemed very reluctant to comply, but after giving the ball a final kick, she pulled up and started gently back-pedaling toward Legion ground.

The Titan defense kicked the ball back to the pursuing midfielders, glad of something to do at last, and the ball made its way back toward the Legion side, avoiding Mikasa. While nearly all the Titans had run after the ball that time, Mikasa was the only Scout to do so, giving her teammates a chance to catch their breaths.

Five minutes to go. _We can do this_.

Mikasa was tougher than Levi would have expected from her frame, and she did a lot to keep the Titans back, but inevitably they began avoiding her, aiming to break through weaker or more tired opponents. Finally, Number Five went around Mikasa, past Levi, whose reflexes were beginning to suffer severely from fatigue, practically through Erwin, who had received several un-penalized fouls in the last half-hour, and on to confront Petra.

The petite girl had regained a lot of her energy since the first half, and she seemed ready. She blocked the ball with her body, but when it bounced back, Number Five sent it high into the air with his knee. When it came down, he jumped to meet it with his head and it bounced over Petra toward the goal.

Eren had been shifting around in the goal box, always facing the ball and ready to defend, but this was the first time there was any threat at all. He tilted his body forward and met the ball with his shoulder. Levi was amazed at the force with which the ball rebounded, sailing over Number Five and hitting another Titan in the face so hard his head snapped back and he nearly fell over backward.

Furious, the struck Titan went after the ball. He was quicker than one would have expected from his meaty build, and he made up the ground lost very fast. He even tricked Petra into moving in the wrong direction long enough to attempt a goal.

This time Eren blocked the ball with his shin, but the result was the same - the ball bounced off him with surprising force, hitting the attacking Titan in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him.

Blind with rage and gasping for breath, the offended Titan abandoned the ball altogether, stomping forward with a growl of, "Jaeger..."

The referee blew his whistle, and for a moment Levi thought it was in response to the violent posture of the player descending on Eren, but then he realized... _That's time. The game is over. We tied._

* * *

Sometimes there were tie-breakers in the inter-high matches, but not so on this occasion. It had been brought to the referee's attention that not all the players on the Scouts' side were actually on their team roster. After a brief meeting with the coaches and captains (during which Erwin assumed all responsibility for his team's actions), the referee declared the game a win to the Titans, due to policy infringement by the Scouts.

The stunned spectators seemed unable to decide how to react. A few booed the decision, and many talked among themselves in confused tones, but eventually they began to clap, showing their support for their team and the sport in spite of the unfavorable result.

Erwin gathered the Scouts together. "That was brutal, men," he said, looking around at their bruised and bleeding faces. "Marco's at the ER and some of the rest of you look like you should be, too, but I couldn't be more proud of you. I know that our actions today might mean that the board disbands us. I hope that's not the case, but even if it is, we played one of our best games today. I'll never forget it, and you shouldn't either."

The team offered positive responses.

Levi put an arm around Armin's shoulders. "How about a cheer for the brains behind our second half strategy?"

The team eagerly joined in with "Hip, hip, hooray!" and Eren and Mikasa lifted Armin onto their shoulders. Armin blushed at the attention.

"Let's hurry up and get changed," Erwin said. "I'm going to pretend this was a win and treat you all to pizza."

The team cheered with even more enthusiasm than before and rushed toward the locker room.

Levi looked back across the field at the Titans. _We beat you, you ugly SOB's. You got the win, but you'll always remember how we made fools out of you._

He spotted Hange talking to the Titans' coach. No doubt she was interviewing him for the paper. It was good to know she was taking her job seriously... she needed to turn in two stories within the next day and a half.

Hange looked toward him and their eyes met. She looked curious. She must not understand what had happened at all. He turned away and jogged after the rest of the team.

Once most of them were changed, Hange made her way into the locker room, herself. She found Petra and spoke to her; then she approached Levi.

"Who were your subs?" she asked without preamble.

Levi thought about answering, and how he would phrase his answer, but he was too damn tired to get into it. "Why don't you ask them?" he said.

"OK..."

He turned away. "How many cars do we need to take?" he asked Erwin.

"Two for sure," Erwin answered. "Three would be better. And more legal."

Levi smirked. He glanced back at Hange; she was already talking to Eren. "I'll bring my car around," he said, and headed out of the locker room.

* * *

Hange wrapped up her interview with the Titans' coach and hurried to the Scouts' locker room. Spotting Petra, she hurried over to the usually light-hearted girl.

"Petra, what happened out there? Who were your substitutes?"

Petra shrugged. "I really don't know them... Armin pulled them out of a hat or something." She chuckled. "You might ask Levi... He seems to know more than the rest of us."

Asking Levi was what Hange had hoped to avoid, but it was important for her story, if nothing else. She walked toward the team captain. "Who were your subs?" she asked, knowing his usual aversion to small talk.

Levi was silent a moment before saying, "Why don't you ask them?"

"OK..." Hange said, and he had already turned away before she could add, "I guess I will, then."

She went over to the unidentified sub players. The boy gave her a small smile. "Hello," she said. "I'm working on a story for the school paper, and I wanted to know a little about you two."

"Nice," said the boy. "I'm Eren Jaeger, and this is my sister Mikasa. We're transfer students."

It was all Hange could do to keep from squealing in her joy. "Oh, my gosh... you're like the perfect specimens!"

"Huh?" He looked slightly put off.

"Sorry, it's just that I'm doing a story on team rivalry and one on transfer students... you fit both categories!"

"Oh!" He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yeah... I guess so."

"I need to hear all about your transfer and how you came to play for Legion today. Can I go with you? Wherever you're going?"

"The coach said something about pizza," Mikasa said. "I think you can probably go, but I'm not sure he'll want to buy for you, too."

"Eh, if he doesn't, I will," Eren offered.

Hange shook her head. "No, that's all right. I just want to interview you guys. If I get hungry, I can pay for something myself."

"Come on," said Armin, "We'll ride in Mike's car."

Hange followed the underclassmen out to the parking lot where Levi, Erwin and Mike had brought their cars up to the curb to wait.

"You get in front," Armin offered, and Hange took the front passenger seat.

"Oh, hi Hange," Mike said.

"Sorry to crash, Mike, but I'm interviewing the newbies for a story; you don't mind do you?" Hange asked, hoping she didn't sound presumptuous.

"Nah, that's fine. More the merrier... as long as they fit in the cars."

Hange watched Jean and Petra get into Erwin's car; Ilse and Christa rode with Levi. "Is Marco going to be ok?"

"We're not sure; they sent him to the ER."

"Oh, man."

"Yeah... he rolled his ankle pretty good. Just hope it's not broken."

At the pizza parlor, Hange sat at a small table with Armin and his friends, away from the others. She had jotted down a few questions in the car. "Ready for Q and A?" she asked Eren.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Well, this isn't something I'm likely to put in my story, but I was wondering - did you know Levi before? He seems kind of..."

"He hates me," Eren said, smiling.

"Oh. May I ask why?"

"His uncle paid for me to go to soccer camp one year and I started dating one of his best friends and he thought I wasn't good enough for her, so he told his uncle he didn't want me around anymore and crap. It was a big mess. That was ages ago, though. I'm more than willing to bury the hatchet, but... eh, I guess some people can't let go of a grudge."

Hange frowned sympathetically. "And the friend... did you have to break up with her?"

"Oh, yeah. She was totally head-over-heels for me, but..." Eren rubbed the back of his neck again. "We were kind of young. Well, I was young. She was downright _little._ " He laughed. "It's not like anything major would have happened for years anyway, but apparently Levi thought I was... _threatening_ or something."

"So, puppy love."

"Pretty much."

"Hm. Well, I don't know, because I wasn't there, but I've seen how these rich kids treat other people sometimes, and I think it was probably a safe bet that he wasn't fair to you."

"Eh, it's OK. I've moved on, and that's the important thing for me."

"OK, first real question: When did you transfer to Legion High?"

"Our transfers went through last week. We had to finish out the week at Titan High before everything was finalized, and we don't officially start at Legion until Monday."

"How did you end up playing soccer today?"

"I was on the team at Titan High, but I was already fed up with them long before this... they're a bunch of cheaters. You might not want to print those exact words, though," Eren added. "The school board won't like it, and we could both get in trouble. Anyway... I saw a foul that the ref missed and it was just the last straw. I mean, players were getting injured all around me. It was ridiculous. I ended up attacking my teammate. And then a bunch of them ganged up on me... but I was the one who got suspended, because supposedly I started a fight for no reason. I wasn't allowed to play anymore. They might not let me play here, either... there's a meeting on Monday to figure that out.

"Today, Mikasa and I got here after the game started, but it's not hard to guess how things went. We were friends with Armin for ages, and when I saw him getting deliberately knocked over by someone twice his size, I had to go down there and see him, at the very least."

"Speaking of size," said Hange, "you're a little smaller than most Titan players."

Eren laughed. "I'm smaller than _all_ the Titan players. I'm the shortest one they ever took. Their recruiters seriously try to enroll students based on their build. They want all big, intimidating players. I got away with being a little shorter and leaner than the others because my maneuvers are so impressive. I don't say that to brag..."

"I believe you. Please, go on."

"Well, Armin told us we might have to forfeit if he couldn't play. He was all set to stand on the field and get torn apart just so the Scouts wouldn't have to forfeit. I said, 'If only there was a way I could take your place,' and I practically saw the wheels start turning in his head." Eren ruffled Armin's hair, grinning.

Armin stared at the table, embarrassed.

"Erwin and Levi decided it was worth it to tie the score, even if it meant losing the game by default. Mikasa got a goal in, we focused on defense, and here we are."

"So, it was worth getting in trouble because of your rivalry with the Titans?"

"Totally."

A server came and took their order then. When he had gone, Eren continued.

"I've been dealing with bullies since I was little."

"People used to pick on me all the time," Armin said. "Still do, sometimes. But Eren and Mikasa always put a stop to it when they're around."

"And we'll be around from now on," said Mikasa.

"Levi bullied me, _everyone_ bullied Armin, some guys were after Mikasa this one time... that's how she and I met, actually. But that's another story."

Hange made a note. "Maybe one for next week," she said, smiling.

"Yeah... and my mom has been stupidly bullied at her job. After my dad left, she had to go to work full-time. I guess she was an easy target, because everyone at her office started making her the person they found fault with. They'd make fun of her and give her all the jobs no one else wanted, let her deal with the mean customers. She ended up having a sort of breakdown." Eren looked down at the table.

"Carla's in a recovery group home now," Mikasa supplied. "Until she's better, we're going to live with Armin and his grandfather."

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear about that," said Hange. "My mom's had to work full-time since my dad died, too. But, um... you say since Eren's mom is in the group home you're both living with Armin - but you haven't always lived together, because you said the two of you met when Mikasa was getting bullied."

"My folks adopted her after her parents died," Eren explained.

"Oh, I see. So, all the bullying in your life, and the lives of your loved ones - that's what made you hate the Titans so much, even though you were on their team?"

"Absolutely. I don't know why I stuck with them so long... true, for most of the first half of the year, I was a bench warmer, so I didn't see the fouls up close. But after my first few times on the field... I just couldn't do it anymore."

"And you think you'll do better if you can play for Legion?"

"I know I will. I'll have teammates I can respect."

Hange spent the rest of the interview talking to Mikasa and Eren about the transfer process, their reasons for coming to Legion High, and their hopes for the future. She was going to have two solid stories to turn in by tomorrow.

She looked over at the larger table where the rest of the Scouts were gathered. She could tell Erwin was flirting with Petra and it made her sick. Levi looked impassive as ever, eating his pizza with his usual neutral expression... and a knife and fork?! _What the hell? Mister Perfect eats pizza with silverware?!_ Hange made a note in her notebook. It might make a good character piece eventually... "A Day In the Life Of Scout Captain Levi Ackerman..." If nothing else, it would give the students a laugh.

* * *

 _Thank you for the continued support. I'll try to put more up soon.  
_


End file.
